Handling carriage for airplane bodies



June 23, 1931. G. LENNG 3 5 HANDLING ARRIAGE FOR AIRPLANE BODIES Filed Nov. 7, 1930 2 shans-'sheet E I INVENTOR BY v ATTORNEY June 23, 1931. o 1,811,551

HANDLING CARRIAGE FOR IRPLANE BODIES Filed Nov. 7. 19:50 2 shans-sheet 2 I Patented June 23, 1931 i e i i i i UNITED STATES P ATENT OFFICE ri i GRovEnLoEmNmoF miut, i i A HAN LINe CARRIAGE FoR AinPLhNn BODIES i Application fiek November 7, ieaosriai Noi l-93,943. i

This invention' isa handling carriage for tion to the hull or boat body 2 of a flying stowing'fiying-boats or other airplanes in boat, but the invention is `not limited to a confined spaces. The iivention is more parparticulartype of heavier-than-air machine. ticularly designed to provide convenient fThe-sidewalls &of the ,body have openings means 'or introducing an airplane body into and internal thimble sockets 4 are Secured to 55 a cylindrical tank carried by a submarine, these walls around'the openings.

and for withdrawing it from the tank onto Anaxle 5 'can be .inserted in and removed the deck. from each of these sockets, and can be locked The carriage ofthis invention comprises in the socket by aspring-presse'd pin 6.` A 1% wheel supports applicable to and removable flanged bushing 7 and ring 8 are fixed tothe from sockets or their equivalents on the op- 4 aXle 5, as bymean's'of apin 8 just outside the posite sides of the airp-lane body, and a large nner portion of the axle which enters` Lthe" V and a small wheel on each carrier, the large s'ocketa`nd a small .wheel 9 is rotatably supwheel being removable, leaving the small ported on thisbushing betweentheflanges` Li wheel in place on the removable support. A large wheel 10 is rotatably supportedon 5:*` The large wheels when in place project bethe portion of each aXle outside the" small low the bottom line of the Ibody, so that the wheel, the hub of this wheel being oapable o'f ,body can be wheeled on a deck or other fiat bengslipped off the aXle when a retaineris surface, whilstthesmall wheels are adapted released. Figs. 4 and 5 showoneform of re-` for rolling the body into and outof a cylintainer comprisng atwo-part flange 11 seated drical tank or other berth having a troughed removably in a circumferential groove inthe bott m H c outer end of theaxle, and an el'astic ring 12 In theaccompanying drawings, forming clasping a channel in the ;parts ofthe flange. a t h r of: V l/Vhen the airplane or airplane bodyisto ,be 5 Fig. lis an end View showing the two parts rolled on deck or'on land, the two'units of 5 of the carriage applied to the flotation body .thehandlingcarriageare connected with the i ofa flying-boat, the large wheels resting on a body and both wheels are' 'in place onthe deck or other flat surface; aXles. i r

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the small The invention is intended more particularwheels resting on a track inside a tank, the ly for handling flying machines or their' i lower part of the tank and the tracks being bodiesminns their wings on the decks of in section, and the'large wheels, which are resubmarnes, and :tor rollingthem into and out moved at this time, being indicated 'in dotof cylind'rical tank's in which the bodies are and-dash'lines, as is also the deck level; stowed. 'The numeral 13 indicates a deck,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation corresponding to and l4is a tank Secured to the deck, the lower 5 Fig. l, onlya fragmentof the body of the airportionfof this tank being shown in Fg. 2; plane being shown; `Tracksl are preferablysecured inside the 4 is a sectional View of one of the -tank,'thesetracks extending` l'engthwise and; wheel-carriers, the section being taken in a being disposed on the upwar'd slopes of the 43 plane which coincides with the aXis, a portank shell above and atopposite sides of the tion of the side wall of thehullor body being i bottom 'line 'of the' shell. Inclined tracks or shown in section, and a portion of the large spursare preferably disposed outside of the wheel being indicated ,in dot-,and-dash lines; tank in continuation with the internal tracks, Fig. 5 is a view looking at 'the outerend when a body is to be introduced or removed 45 of the wheel support of Fig. 4; and from the tank; `Ithas not been thought nec- Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, essary to illnstrate thesetracks beyond indi-. illus'trating another form of the device. cating them by the dot-and-dash line 16 in Figs. 4 and '5, and in connection therewith Fig. 3. The external t'acks may naturally Figs. 1-3, will first be described. The drawbe movable in order to permit closing of 9 ingsillustrate the application'of the inventhe tank;

The large wheels 10 would support the body of the plane too far from the bottom of the tenk, because of the Upward slopes of the sdes of the tank bottom, so that it would be impossible to roll the body into and out of a tank of minimum dmensons on these wheels.

. Conseqiently, before pushing thebodynto the tank, the wheels lO are removed ftoni the axles 5. At this time the small wheels-S'have ridden up the inclned Spurs 16, and the body can then be pushed into the tank, the wheels 9 rolling on the tracksl'.

W'hen the body is withdrawn from the tank, the large wheels 10 are appli'edto the axle. Before the plane leaves the submarne both units of the carfiageare removed.

The unit shown in Fg. 6 is similar to the one alfedy d'es'cb'ed with the following exceptions: The primary a xle 5 termnates atthe outer side of the small wheel 9, and the bushng 7 can be ontted. A Supplen'entary axle 5 is inserted into the prmary aXle' and is held in' place by a releasable catch 17,'o`pe1'able from the open end of thesecondaty aXle by a pull connection 18. This secondafy ale car'ries the large wheel. The secondaty 'axle `with the large wheel can, therefore, he 'removed from the primary aXle which cari'es the small wheel, and the secondary axle with the small" wheel' can in turn be removed from the body.

I fealze that numerous changes can be made in the carrying ont of the inv'ntion, and it is therefore des'red that the dfawngs and the 'description be nnder'stood as being llistfiatve of preferred e'mb'odiment's and not 's limiting the scope of the n'vefton set thithin the appended clms.

I claim: e l. 'Means for handlng and stowng airplane bodies, ceinprising a large and a* small wheel pplc'able to each side ofthe' irplan'e body, and wheel supports adapted to connect said wheels detachably to the body and to pernt the lafge wheelsto be removed `while the small wheels remain in place.

2. Aha'dling carge for stowng air planes, conpris'ng, in combinaton with sockets at the sides of the aii'plane body, wheelsupports adapted to be rjernovably applid to said sockets, a small and a large wheel on'each wheel sup ort the small wheel at the nner side of the large'whe'el and the large wheel being removahle from the supp'ottleavng the small wheel in `place.

3. A handlng carriag'e for stowng airplnes, compfising soeliets at the sides of the arplane body, aXles 'nsertihle in said sockets, Teleasable fastenings for holding said aXles in said soclets, a small wheel on each aXle, a large wheel 'outside of each 'small wheel, and adtachable connection permittng removal of the' large wheels from the aXles' while the small wheels remain' in place.

4. A handlng carrage for stowingar'` GROVER LOENING. 

